China to Employ More Robots Than Any Other Country by 2017
China is the biggest manufacturing hub in the world. State provided incentives, low wages and the lack of strict labour laws have helped the country become a formidable force in the field of manufacturing. The country is slated to become the biggest employer for robots by 2017.
To give a boost to its automotive and electronics production the country is in an active automation-drive. The wages have grown over the years and hence the companies are being forced to invest in robots.
The trend has started with automobile production, but specialists believe it will soon be seen in the electronics production. The automobile industry accounts for about 40 percent of robots currently in operation.
China is still lagging behind in terms of numbers of robot it employs now. While China has 30 robots per 10000 workers, South Korea boasts of 437; Japan has 323, and the United States has 152. But the the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) estimates the numbers of Chinese robots to grow exponentially.
Japanese robot suppliers lead the race to supply to the industry and hold 60 percent of the market. Chinese suppliers are also fast gaining ground and have captured a quarter of the market.
The robots will also actively take jobs away from human workers so its left to be seen how China will address that issue.
